Police & Fire: No contest plea in Pyper Products embezzlement case

James Korson

EMBEZZLEMENT PLEA: A man accused of taking money from Pyper Products in Battle Creek entered a plea Friday in Calhoun County Circuit Court and will be sentenced next month. James Korson, 56, of Angola, Ind., pleaded no contest to embezzlement of $183,000 from the former company, which operated in the Fort Custer Industrial Park. It is now part of Systex Products Corp., which is owned by the Japanese company, Denso. Battle Creek police alleged Korson took the money between December 2005 and August 2009, while he was working as a controller. Police were notified about the missing money in December. In February investigators said they believed he took as much as $1 million but on Friday Calhoun County prosecutors said they could document that $183,000 was missing. Korson is already serving a 20-month to 15-year prison sentence after a plea to embezzling money from a Jackson County company, where he worked after leaving Pyper. He will be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison when he appears before Circuit Judge James Kingsley on June 28.

SHOT FIRED REPORT: Battle Creek police were called to the first block of East Avenue South about 6:51 p.m. Thursday to investigate a report of a fight and shot fired. Officers said they were told several people were involved in a fight and that one man came out from a nearby house and fired a shotgun into the air. Police said the people they interviewed were uncooperative and that they were unable to determine who fired the shot.

ASSAULT: A warrant is being sought for assault for a man, 35, after a bar owner, 52, said he was punched about 6 p.m. Thursday. The victim said the younger man came in and began arguing with the owner that he was taking money from his business partner. The two went outside and the victim said he was punched in the face by the younger man, who then left. The owner didn't call police until about 1:01 a.m. Friday.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Battle Creek police have reported the following cases:

? A woman, 33, was arrested after her husband, 24, said he was assaulted in the 400 block of Upton Avenue about 11:24 a.m. Thursday.

? A warrant is being sought for a man, 56, after his girlfriend, 47, said she was assaulted in the 300 block of Main Street about 10:44 p.m. Thursday.

? A warrant is being sought for a man, 55, after his girlfriend, 42, said she was assaulted in the first block of Anderson Court about 11:55 p.m. Thursday.

? A woman, 20, was arrested after her boyfriend, 18, said he was assaulted in the first block of Bernardo Place about 12:30 a.m. Friday.